LOS ANGELES, CA – It seems we can’t even have a $100 million benefit concert without inviting partisan bickering. What began as an urgent and well-intentioned philanthropic effort to help victims of two catastrophic fires has turned into another political fight between the two major political parties.
Perhaps it is a genuine issue that the funds were channeled through nonprofit corporate middlemen before reaching the individuals who lost everything. Or maybe, it’s all completely above board.
But in today’s climate, every high-profile event, especially one involving celebrities, millions of dollars, and national media, is a chance for political figures from both sides to dig in. Add FireAid to the list of one more wedge issue seeking to divide us into two camps.
The celebrity-studded wildfire relief concert held on January 30, 2025, was to raise funds to aid victims of the Palisades and Altadena fires, two of the most destructive wildfires in California history. With 30 lives lost and more than 12,000 properties destroyed, the concert drew global attention.
Hosted across two iconic venues, the Kia Forum and Intuit Dome, the event brought together musical legends such as Billie Eilish, Stevie Wonder, Sting, Lady Gaga, Green Day, Rod Stewart, and others.
The Irving Azoff family, in collaboration with Live Nation and the LA Clippers, assembled the 27 artists and FireAid was widely promoted as a rapid-response philanthropic campaign. Connie and Steve Ballmer, owners of the LA Clippers and former Microsoft CEO, committed to match every donation made during the live broadcast. The Annenberg Foundation advised the effort.
Promotional materials promised: “All proceeds aid displaced families and fire prevention initiatives.”
Now, more than six months later, FireAid faces mounting questions and a federal investigation. Fire victims, local leaders, and national lawmakers, including the president, are demanding to know whether the money raised reached the people it was meant to help.
Their concerns have turned a humanitarian effort into a flashpoint of partisan scrutiny, with Republicans accusing Democratic-aligned nonprofits of political favoritism.
The issue has gained tremendous traction on social media because high-profile influencers, including Spencer Pratt and Tomi Lahren, are convinced there has been malfeasance in the distribution of the funds.
Their Communities Were Burned to the Ground
The Pacific Palisades Community Council (PPCC), whose members include multiple fire survivors, sent a formal letter to the Annenberg Foundation on May 15, 2025, asking for a full accounting of all funds distributed. The letter was signed by PPCC President Sue Kohl, At-Large Representative Christina Spitz, and Area 5 Representative Kimberly Bloom, all of whom lost their homes.
The PPCC letter, reported by the Santa Monica Mirror on June 2, emphasized the scale of the devastation. Residents fled on foot from advancing flames. Community assets, including the recreation center, library, places of worship, and schools, were destroyed or severely damaged. Many affected homeowners were either uninsured or underinsured.
In the letter, PPCC identified only three Palisades-specific recipients among the 120 organizations listed on FireAid’s website: Kehillat Israel, Chabad of Pacific Palisades, and Palisades Charter High School. The group praised support for the high school but expressed concern that broader community recovery and displaced families had been overlooked. They also requested information on whether the FireAid website would be updated with post-February grants and sought direct contact with decision makers, a request they say went unanswered.
According to the Palisade Times, the letters were also sent to LA CouncilwomanTraci Park, music executive Irving Azoff, Chris Wallace of the LA Clippers, and Bob Roux of Live Nation.
Congressional Calls for Investigation
On July 23, Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-CA) took to the House floor to demand a federal investigation into FireAid.
Tens of thousands of people donated, raising $100 million for what they were told was direct relief," Kiley said. "Now we have learned that this money didn’t go to the victims at all." (Congressional Record, Vol. 171, No. 126, p. H3571)
Kiley maintains that “The Annenberg Foundation promised in its solicitations that the funds would be used for “direct relief” and that those funds would “not be used for administrative purposes””
The California congressman highlighted a donation to After the Fire, a Sonoma County group focused on disaster planning. Kiley argued the group had no apparent connection to Los Angeles fire victims and accused FireAid of funding organizations that promoted “voting, civic engagement, and multigenerational power building.”
"Americans' generosity should not be the second victim of this tragedy," Kiley wrote. "An investigation is needed to restore the intent of the donors, make the victims whole, and bring accountability.” (Kiley.house.gov, July 23, 2025)
Trump’s Public Condemnation
The political furor surrounding FireAid has also taken hold on social media. On July 27, 2025, the account @FloppingAces posted a viral thread on X titled:
The thread received over 231,000 views in less than 24 hours, accusing Newsom of redirecting FireAid donations to politically connected nonprofits rather than victims. Though claims in the thread have been disputed and disproven, social media has continued to light up with conservative calls for federal oversight and intensified public scrutiny on how Democratic officials and affiliated organizations handled the funds.
President Donald Trump used his Truth Social platform to amplify the controversy:
According to a column by Susan Shelley, published in the LA Daily News, $500,000 of FireAid funds were donated—at the request of Newsom—to the Edward Charles Foundation, doing business as LA Rises.
“If you’ve been wondering where the money from FireAid ended up, $500,000 of it was donated, at Gov. Newsom’s request, to the Edward Charles Foundation, doing business as LA Rises.”
Critics argue that the connection between LA Rises and frontline fire recovery has not been clearly demonstrated.
According to FireAid and reporting by the Los Angeles Times, whose reporters interviewed 100 of the nonprofits, $75 million had been distributed as of June 2025:
$50 million in February 2025
$25 million in June 2025
Another $25 million is expected to be distributed by December 1, 2025.
Funds went to more than 160 nonprofits.
Sample Recipients and Services Funded:
The Change Reaction: $2 million for direct financial assistance to 2,500 individuals
Inclusive Action: $500 prepaid cards to over 5,000 displaced street vendors, landscapers, and day laborers
"Seventy-four percent of the assistance was spent on groceries and food," said Rudy Espinoza, Executive Director. (FireAid.org)
LA Regional Food Bank: $1.25 million to meet a 30 percent increase in demand
Legal Aid: Grants to Bet Tzedek, Public Counsel, and Legal Aid Foundation for FEMA appeals, insurance paperwork, and document replacement
Team Rubicon: $250,000 for debris removal and flood prevention
Jewish Family Service: $250,000 for case management and FEMA coordination. MusiCares: Support to 3,200 displaced music professionals
YMCA of LA: Emergency childcare for 1,000 children, mental health support, and meal services
Many of the grants addressed not just emergency aid but long-term trauma recovery and housing navigation.
FireAid’s Defense
In response to public criticism and social media scorn, FireAid stated that its accounting firm KPMG will have a comprehensive report on the grants' impact ready by December.
Additionally, it has said it had “tasked Latham & Watkins to conduct a comprehensive review of FireAid's governance and grantmaking processes.”
This review will also include assessing whether recipient organizations are using funds in alignment with FireAid's stated purpose and commitments.
FireAid also acknowledged that Congressman Kiley has called for Attorney General Bondi to investigate:
We've shared this update with Rep. Kiley, along with documentation showing how FireAid funds are delivering real relief from food and housing to legal aid and direct cash assistance."
"FireAid was established immediately after the Fires to provide relief through various non-profit charitable organizations that have the infrastructure and experience that could be leveraged to support those affected by the Fires," the organization continued.
"By allocating funds to non-profit charitable organizations with experience and capability across a broad spectrum of necessary services, FireAid has strived to ensure that assistance reaches the communities and individuals most affected by the Fires in a responsible yet efficient and impactful manner."
Survivor Testimonies
Elizabeth Jackson, who owned a fitness studio in the Palisades, lost both her home and her business. She received help from The Change Reaction:
"That support was a bright light in all the ugliness that happened," she told the Los Angeles Times. "Being on the receiving side of that beauty… it keeps me going."
Michael Sidman, a social worker at Jewish Family Service, lost his home in Altadena:
“When you think about people navigating this alone with no family… I don’t know what they’d do.” (Los Angeles Times, July 25, 2025)
At Hillsides, a Pasadena youth mental health facility, staff members who lost their homes continued to care for children displaced by the fires.
“A lot of our staff were in crisis too,” said Stacey Roth of Hillsides. “They lost homes or were the only house left on their street.”
Pop Culture and Public Pressure
Spencer Pratt, television star and fire survivor, has been putting pressure on Newsom, in particular:
Page Six included a compilation of all Spencer Pratt’s TikTok videos in which the "The Hills" star goes so far as to accuse Governor Newsom of taking the funds for himself.
The Governor's office told Page Six that Newsom is not, in fact, in a “feud” with Spencer Pratt.
"Our office has been correcting his misinformation. The Governor himself has not engaged with any of his content — and our office is sharing the facts that the Governor and the state of California were not involved with FireAid or its concerts, and that FireAid is entirely independent."
Fox News correspondent William La Jeunesse interviewed victims of the fire on ‘America’s Newsroom.'
I have not seen any benefit from the FireAid money, and I am very involved here and neither have my neighbors," said David Howard, who lost two homes in Pacific Palisades. “We need to get to the bottom of where the money is going. A lot of money is going to non-profits in a lot of different areas and it's not going to where it needs to."
Expectation vs. Reality
During the concert broadcast, actor Miles Teller told donors:
“All the money raised will go directly to people who need it now and long-term efforts to build it back.” (The Hill, July 26, 2025)
That statement is now being scrutinized. While FireAid says it never promised direct cash to individuals, public messaging and emotional appeals left many donors and victims with a different impression.
FireAid maintains that it prioritized speed, accountability, and equity, focusing on organizations with the capacity to act. But for many, the question remains unanswered:
Did FireAid fulfill the promise it made, and the promise people believed they were giving to?
It’s certainly possible to believe that people acted in good faith, and it’s also fair to ask whether things could have been done differently. President Trump has used the FireAid controversy as another avenue to attack Governor Newsom, a political rival. A DOJ investigation, triggered by a Republican congressman’s letter, now could place Newsom in the purview of the federal justice system. That, too, can be seen as political.
One of the claims that spread online was that Newsom and his wife created a nonprofit called CalVolunteers that received FireAid money. That claim was later found to be false. CalVolunteers was founded by former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, not the Newsoms.
FireAid may not be perfect, but it was created in the middle of a crisis to get help to people quickly. Whether that help went out in the best possible way is worth examining. But when political actors turn it into another front in the culture war, it becomes harder to find the truth and easier to forget the people the money was meant to help.
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